A student project that was meant to be a temporary art installation has found its forever home on a wall in Mills Memorial Library.
Isabel Diana, who graduated in 2024 with a master’s degree in Gender Studies and Social Justice, created Don’t Push Us Under the Rug for her major research project.
The artwork is accompanied by a guidebook based on Diana’s experience navigating graduate school.
“My biggest barrier coming to McMaster was being a graduate student with a disability and how radically different that looks from an undergraduate with a disability,” Diana says. “At the graduate level, many people don’t know about resources on campus.
“My program was a one-year master’s, which is a very short period of time to get your supports in place, to feel comfortable, to know where to go when you need help, and to be ready to take on everything all at the same time. That’s where the project and the installation really came from.”
When she learned of the opportunity to have her art installed in Mills, Diana toured the space with library employees to figure out where to display her work.
In a serendipitous moment, they came to a blank wall on the second floor, just outside the Campus Accessible Tech Space and Library Accessibility Services.
“I think we all felt that it was the perfect place for it, and no one can imagine it somewhere else,” Diana says. “I couldn’t be happier with where it’s landed, who it’s supporting, and who sees it.”
The textile artwork features five individually framed, bright and colourful tufted rugs. Diana designed a custom typeface for the text portion of the installation, and had an original sketch enlarged and to create the vibrant backdrop seen behind the frames.
During the year the installation was on display, the artwork was accompanied by a basket with copies of Diana’s Helping Hand guidebook, which includes information for McMaster graduate students seeking accommodation.
Diana also wrote the installation’s affirming statement: “No one is perfect; everyone needs a little help. The notion that everything is easy and life does not require a helping hand every now and again is false. Instead, let this wall reminder you that we (the disability/neurodiverse community) know it is hard, but at the end of the day, you are not alone.”
As the installation period came to an end, McMaster University Libraries decided to purchase it to be a permanent fixture in Mills library.
The purchase supports student-created work and adds vibrancy to the space, says Lynne Serviss, associate university librarian, User Services and Community Engagement.
“Isabel’s art adds such a positive energy to the library,” Serviss says. “We are thrilled to support such an important and powerful message and to give a permanent home to artwork created by a McMaster student.”
Don’t Push Us Under the Rug fits into the “Tropical Glow Baby Production” theme Diana incorporates into her other artwork: “Tropical” refers to the vibrant colour palettes, reflecting South American culture. “Glow” hints at happiness, and “Baby” is a nod to the way she often pulls from her childhood when searching for inspiration.
“Tropical Glow Baby is this idea of, if it doesn’t bring you joy and you can’t experience it like a toddler having the best day ever, why did we make it?” Diana says.
Diana plans to continue coordinating a program called Grads are Rad, which she co-created to support graduate students with disabilities at McMaster, through a grant from the MacPherson Institute for Leadership, Innovation and Excellence in Teaching.
“I just want people to know that they matter and that they’re not alone,” Diana says.